Diomande gives Real Madrid hard-fought win over Villarreal

Real Madrid earned a narrow 1-0 victory against Villarreal at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, with Yan Diomande’s second-half goal settling a tense La Liga contest. The home side finished with 10 men after Vinicius Junior was sent off in the 74th minute.

Neither team found the net before half-time, but Diomande broke the deadlock in the 62nd minute. The Ivorian finished after being found by Federico Valverde, scoring his first La Liga goal for Real Madrid.

The goal was initially ruled out for offside by referee Diaz de Mera, but a VAR review overturned the decision. The review confirmed the goal was valid.

The result lifted Real Madrid to 18 points in third place, while Villarreal remain on 8 points in 10th.

An assessment by AS described Real Madrid as the better side for much of the match, although they were forced to withstand sustained pressure after Vinicius Junior’s dismissal. Villarreal, meanwhile, lacked the efficiency in attack that might have enabled them to leave the Santiago Bernabeu with something to show for their efforts.

Real Madrid made an aggressive start, winning possession at least three times during the opening 15 minutes. Valverde was central to that early pressure, stepping forward to disrupt Villarreal’s attacks and apply pressure high up the pitch.

Villarreal were not overawed and, when Real Madrid managed to move into dangerous positions, the visitors were helped by the post. It denied Kylian Mbappe from a volley after Arda Guler had launched the attack.

Real Madrid were not playing poorly, but their failure to finish attacks meant they needed to be patient. The atmosphere became increasingly tense after several refereeing decisions, including a failure to award a foul against Mbappe and the decision not to book Cardona.

Villarreal also found space down Real Madrid’s left, where Elias repeatedly got the better of Carreras. That helped explain the decision to introduce Cucurella at the start of the second half. On the opposite flank, Diomande was directly matched against Freeman and was able to beat him comfortably, although his final pass was often missing.

Real Madrid were also unable to make full use of Guler’s reading of the game. Trent Alexander-Arnold, however, looked considerably improved, using his exceptional long passing and ability to control the tempo.

Valverde was moved to the right, allowing Guler to operate more centrally, where his qualities were better suited. Vinicius Junior then came on in a more radical change and brought considerable energy, while Diomande switched to the other side.

Real Madrid became more aggressive and threatening, but also more vulnerable at the back. Diomande’s goal came after he turned superbly at the end of an attack led by Valverde from the flank.

A second Real Madrid goal was later disallowed. Aurelien Tchouameni won the ball, Jude Bellingham carried it forward and Vinicius finished, but the Brazilian had pulled Saliba’s hair earlier in the move. He was shown a red card, ending the celebrations.

From then on, Real Madrid endured heavy pressure, while Mbappe became less influential in the penalty area. Their resistance was epitomised by Bellingham’s determined defensive effort.